According to Quisumbing, governments would be wise to______. [br] [originaltext

Women farmers tend to be less productive than men, but there are good reasons for that, says Agnes Quisumbing, an economist with the International Food Policy Research Institute.
    The new FAO report finds that while women make up 43 percent of the world’ s farmers, only about 10 to 20 percent own the land they farm. Without land for collateral, it is harder for them to get credit to buy inputs such as better seeds and fertilizers. In many countries, women are half as likely as men to use fertilizers to increase yields.
    In addition, many of the world’s women are raising their children at the same time they’re farming, which also may help explain why their productivity is lower than men’s.
    The FAO report says closing the gender gap could increase agricultural output in the developing world by as much as four percent, which in turn could reduce the number of undernourished people by as much as 17 percent.
    Quisumbing says governments would be wise to back programs which help close the gap for women farmers — for example, vouchers that help them buy better seeds and fertilizers.
    But beyond financial support, she adds, in many countries the policy environment needs to change, too.